ION Geophysical Corporation (NYSE:IO)

The Company offers a full suite of related products and services for seismic data acquisition and processing, including products incorporating traditional analog technologies and products incorporating the proprietary VectorSeis, True Digital technology.

IO has been a very volatile stock for the last 6 months. I've made a hefty return with this stock by buying low and selling high.. if you watch it closely, it can appreciate in value by 5% one day and depreciate by 5% the very next day. So, if you look at the average price for the last few weeks and buy below that price, the odds are in your favour to make a pretty nice return in a rather short time frame. Happy Investing!

Earning estimates and revenues up. PE is decent, and cash flow also decent. Debt not too high, and should be able to make some decent gains. Insider buying was at closer to $6 but should still have some room to run.

There has been an increase in seismic actively of late. With that will come a realistic scientific need to figure out what is causing it. When you combine that with the whacko apocolypse people (2012'ers) I believe that there will be a measurable increase in seismic research funding for several years to come.

Speculative play on a big undeveloped yet gas shale in China they would be part of exploring later 2010-2011 as part of their newly minted relationship with BGP (a subsidiary of China National Petroleum): INOVA.

ION's balance sheet is far from being iron clad... though the INOVA deal helped a bit with this: BGP now owns a 20% stake in ION which it got for $175 million in cash and a $100 million credit line. The ~$100 million remaining debt isn't due until 2015.

Needs more research... especially since management seems to have done some pretty dumb moves in 2008 resulting in a LOT of debt... for now just a CAPS tracker... and I will probably nibble at it in my RL portfolio on the deeps if i like what I see later on.

4 CAPS * end of April 2010I hope there will be some occasions to buy this at around $4 in the future...